Products for washing and waxing vehicles are ubiquitous. Those products for washing vehicles are typically based on blends of anionic surfactants. Anionic surfactants provide excellent, stable, soft, lubricious foams. In addition, anionic surfactants provide excellent soil removal and good wetting to automotive exterior surfaces and are easily and uniformly rinsed from the surface with water. Nonionic and amphoteric surfactants may also be used in combination with the anionic surfactant to aid in solubilizing the anionic surfactant and to enhance the detergency of the formulation.
Automotive wax compositions typically comprise wax or silicone based emulsions. They impart finishes with high gloss, shine, water resistance (beading) and durability through hydrogen bonding or simple Van der Waals forces. Most car wax formulations require a two step application process. The first step is applying the wax formulation to the vehicle surface and allowing the wax to dry. The second step involves wiping away excess wax and, in many cases, vigorously buffing the vehicle surface to obtain a uniform, glossy finish.
It is also known to combine both cleaners and wax components into a single composition. Formulations include, for example, an aqueous silicone-based wax emulsion comprising an anionic surfactant, a silicone oil, an amino-functional silicone, and a wax. Such compositions can clean the vehicle exterior and impart a glossy finish in one easy step, without the need to buff. However, convenience may be at the expense of durability since the wax finish will not withstand many subsequent washes.
There is a need therefore, for an automotive wash and wax composition that combines the superior cleaning power of a car wash with the superior durability, water resistance and high gloss of a wax composition. In particular, there is a need for automotive wash and wax composition that imparts superior durability, water resistance and high gloss having improved detergent resistance.